Private adoption in Florida
Chapter 63 lays out five private routes, permissive eligibility rules, and strict consent law. Costs run $15K–$65K depending on whether you hire an agency or an attorney alone. The DCF license roster is the primary fraud filter.
Florida private newborn adoption is governed by Chapter 63. The process runs five sequential steps from matching to court finalization — typically six to 24 months end to end. Before you choose a professional, you choose a route: five distinct private adoption types under the same statute, each with different cost, home-study, and consent requirements.
Eligibility is notably permissive. No residency requirement, no marital-status requirement, no income minimum — but criminal history carries hard disqualifiers. The fork most families face first is attorney versus agency. Attorney-only independent adoption costs $15,000–$30,000 with more flexibility and less hand-holding. Full agency placement runs $60,000–$65,000 but includes matching, counseling, and coordination. Agency fees alone are often $15,000–$30,000; attorney fees $2,500–$10,000 in simple cases and higher when the attorney is the sole professional. Home study runs $900–$3,000. Birth-mother living and medical expenses $5,000–$15,000, governed by § 63.097 — violations can jeopardize the adoption and expose adoptive parents to liability.
Typical newborn adoption cost ranges
April 2026 research ranges. A June 2026 verification pass refuted two tighter agency quotes; these bands remain the best available.
Consent, contact, and vetting
Florida consent law is strict and age-dependent. Newborn consent is immediately irrevocable. Consent for children six months or older carries a three-business-day revocation window. Post-adoption contact agreements are not legally enforceable — birth parents have no court remedy if adoptive parents stop contact. Unmarried putative fathers must register with the Putative Father Registry to preserve notice and consent rights.
In private infant adoption the reputability question reduces largely to licensing. Florida DCF licenses every private adoption agency under § 409.175 and publishes the roster that serves as the primary fraud filter. Using an unlicensed “facilitator” is illegal under § 63.212. Lowball “guaranteed placement” fees are a red flag. Nine licensed full-service agencies operate in Florida; most decline to publish fees on their sites. A federal adoption tax credit of up to $17,670 in 2026 partially offsets expenses and became partially refundable starting in 2025. Foster care adoption runs about $0.